Forge providing bottom discharge means for clinkers, refuse, and the like



March -17, 1953 s. SHIPLEY 2,631,553

FORGE PROVIDING BOTTOM DISCHARGE MEANS FOR CLINKERS, REFUSE, AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 24, 1950 FIG. 1

I 2' If 5 u .5 Jr 39 3 T 4 W, 1 ii -8 7 FIG. 12

, INVENTOR, SKIDMORE SHIPLEY 1 6 7 ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 17, 1953 UN ITEDJ STATES; OFFICE FORGE PROVIDING BOTTOM. DISCHARGE MEAN S I. FOR .CLINKERS, REFUSE, .ANDI

THETJLIKE SkidmoresShipley, MunciepInd.

Annlicationflovemberz l, 1950,1'SeriatNo.197,414 Q -Cl'a'ims. (Cl. 1I0--3.5)"-

'lifl'iisi-i invention relates to improvements in=- forges. It has, reference especially to a forge of thetype wherein, the-open fireplace witnforceddraft for heating is,by a deckistructure, sup ported at. height accommodative to smithing,

A. cause of considerable "inconvenience in" the use of forges as same. have hitherto "been" devised. is".v that the fireplace residue or refuse as clinkers, scale, metallic fragments, slag and ashes i,

cannot be. sufficiently removed otherwise. than by the laborious and time .consumingpro'cedure. of digging and gouging. .to; the bottomof the fire bed... Such procedure, accompanied as 'it'is, by a breaking; down of the. fire bed mass'and'a dispersing, .of the adjacent fuel, results" in.-interruption of. the use. of thefo'rgafdelay and inconvenience .in handling thework; and in increase of operational expense.

To provide means whereby. the above named disadvantages. may The overcome. is. they object broadly stated, ofimy. invention. The.said,gen-.

eralobject, also certain aims which are devoted to. providing .lfeatures of construction resulting ini'ieconomy of' manufacture. practicability of installation and efficienti use, andin dependability;,1are,aecomplished by and, my invention is; contained .inthe new construction, combination andv arrangement of parts described in. the fol-' lowinggjspecification andillustrated in the ac-. companying ,drawings;

The. different. parts. of the. invention are ide'n:

tified. bysuitablei characters of reference applied to-themiiri. theseveral views'in the drawings;

Inithe'. drawings Fig.1jlisa top iplan*vie'w of my invention and which said invention maybe designated as a device. to' facilitate maintenance of uniformity ofjfire mass'ini a forge.

Fig.2 isan elevational sideview of said device,..

taken in the direction of arrow 2 'in'Fi'g. 1.1

Fig., 3 is an elevational front view, inthedirection of. arrow 3 'in Figure 2.

Fig.4 isfanenlarged verticalicross seotionview taken on broken .line 4+4 inthe directionof arrow .4 inFig' Fig. 5 is. an enlarged vertical central. sectional. I view takenon .broken. line 5'-5 in thedirection.

of. arrow 5 in Fig. 1.

Fig.6 is ayertieal-cross section. view takenon the broken line.6-6 in the direction of .arrow 6 in Fig. .5..

Fig. 7 is a sectional .top. plan .view taken. on.

broken dine. in..the direction of. arrow 1 in 'Fig. 8 is a sectional top plan view taken on the broken time 8-8 in the 1 direction of arrow:

8 in Fig; 5."

Fig; 9 is a sectionaltopplan viewtaken on broken line 9-9in thedirection of arrow 9 in Fig.'10 is a sectional top plan view takenon thebroken line H], in the direction of arrow' lll in Fi .5.

Fig.) 11 is a diagrammatic front view-showing the device" as it appears installed.

Fig; 12 is a fragmentary top plan view in'thedirection of" arrow |2 in 'Fi'gsll.

Metal fire pot as of cast iron, has convergent side walls embodying flanges 2| and 22', and

convergent end walls embodying flanges '23 and 24. The bottom-is providedwithrectangularopening 25; Secured to said bottom at position closely adjacent to and in parallel alignment with transverse forward edge 26 of said opening, and spaced as indicated in the drawing (see Figures 1 and 6) are downwardly protruded prongs 28. In providing the opposed flanges 2| and 22 at a level different from the level of the opposed flanges 23 and 24--the pot is rendered adaptable to being readily positioned uponsupport members conveniently arranged and forming a part of a conventional bench structure, as

indicated in Figures 11 and 12.

Anelongated connector member and which I designate as a header plate 3| (so called'because it constitutes an element to which the hollow-case presently referred tois joined to the bottom of the fire pot) is provided with a rectangular aperture 32 that is so located near the end of said plate as to register beneath the opening 25 of said fire pot. Closely adjacent to and in parallel alignment with the transverse forward edge 33 of. said aperture are holes 34 positioned to register with and to permit the passing therethrough of the said prongs 28 of the fire pot.

The downwardly directed marginal portion of the saidheader plate forms a border skirt which boundsthe space immediately beneath said plate. said skirt (as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. '8)"em'-' bodies vertical ribs 37.

A grate 38 positioned immediately underneath said. plate and. between the opposed sides and 36 .Tof .said iboundary skirt, has the predeterminately spaced longitudinal slots 39. By means of a handle. 40 whose. stem 4| is passed through a hole. provided therefor in the frontend wall 42 1 of said border skirt and is secured to the forward end or. said grate, the said grate may be manually. operatedi,

upright hollow case, open at its upper end}.

has side walls 43 and 44, rear wall 45 and frontal wall 46. The lower end of the rear portion of said case is of form' in plan to provide enclosed space D, and outlet 41. The space E bounded by the upper part of said case is of length coextensive with the length of the space bounded b the border skirt of the said header plate. The distance between the side walls 43 and 44 of said case being less than the distance between the longitudinal parallel sides 35 and 36 of said skirt, the inner portions of the top flanges 49 of the said side walls of the case, provide parallel opposed seats 50 upon which said seats the aforesaid grate rests slidingly at the under faces of its sides.

The frontal wall 46 of said case is inclined downwardly and rearwardly to a plane spaced above, and is then directed downwardly and terminated at the plane of the said outlet 41. In each of the side walls of said case at its lower portion and at a location above the plane of the space D is provided an inlet opening 55. At one of these openings 55 (for example the opening in wall 43) is provided a connector fitting 56 for the reception of pipe (which is indicated at B in Figure 11) through which air is propelled for the forced draft. At the other opening 55 a closure plate 51 is secured as by cap screws 58.

The fitting 56 and the closure plate 51 being interchangeable, the pipe may be connected either at the right hand position, or at the left hand position, as may b desired. A trap door which closes the outlet 41 consists of a plate 68 having ear 6! and a downwardly turned finger hold 62. Said door is pivotally connected at its ear to a stud 63 which is fixed to and projects downwardly from the bottom edge of wall 45 of the case. Said plate is maintained yieldingly in its position as by a coil spring 64 interposed between the ear El and a burr 66 secured to the bottom of said stud. A stop lug 68 (see Fig. 2) integral with the side wall at said outlet 41 is engaged by the trap door when it is swung from the open or broken line position (see Figure 10) to closed position.

By means of screws 10 passed through holes provided therefor in the flanges 49 of the case, and in the ribs 31 of the sides of the skirt of the header plate 3| and into threaded holes therefor in the bottom of the fire pot; and by screws ll passed through holes provided therefor at the frontal end of said head plate; the said fire pot, header plate, and case are bound in united relation. The prongs 28 will have become engaged in the slots of the grate. The fire pot opening and aperture of the header plate will have been brought into registration. The grate resting free upon the seats 58 and above the elongated open space E (see Fig. is movable slidingly, the slots thereof being raked by the said prongs 28.

At all times during the use of the fire, the trap door is in the closed position. Flow of the draft is through inlet 55 and upwardly through the grate slots 39, aperture 32 and opening 25 to the fire pot.

When in the course of smithing operations impairment of the fire occurs, and which occurrence is indicatory that accumulation of refuse at the fire mass is impeding the draft, the smith grasps the handle 40. If the refuse accumulation is only relatively slight, a jiggling of the grate may sufficiently loosen the obstruction that it drops through the grate. In the refuse accumulation is dense and the ash content is of depth then the grate is operated its full stroke. In this movement of the grate the sides of the slots, scrapin as they do against the prongs, cause a breaking up and dislodgement of said refuse. The space E below the grate being clear and unrestricted throughout the entire distance traversed by the grate, there is no impediment to prevent free escape from the slots and surfaces of the grate, and from the clearance spaces about the grate, of all refuse and sediment there present. Accordingly the grate is at all times readily movable.

The refuse escaping as it does into the zone immediately below the space E comes to rest in the space D and on the trap door. Such portion of the refuse as in the movement of the grate may be carried forwardly, and which escapes into the space between the forward portions of the side Walls of the case, slides down on the interior face of the forward wall and is received at the said space D. At such time as may suit the smith during the period that the blast is not in operation, the emptying of the case and release of the refuse collected in the space D at the outlet is accomplished by simply applying a finger to the handle 62 and swinging it to the broken line position indicated in Fig. 10.

Whereas the several parts are shown and described as of form, structure and detail preferred, it will be understood that modifications may be made. within the spirit and scope of the invention as same is defined in the claims, without departing from the principle of my invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. Forge equipment comprising a fire pot having an opening in its bottom, prongs downwardly protruded from the bottom of said fire pot disposed in a row transversely across the Width of said opening, an elongated header plate secured at an end portion thereof to the bottom of said fire pot there being-in said end portion an aperture to register with the opening of the fire pot, and there being holes in a row transversely across the width of said aperture that is proximal the pronged side of the opening of the fire pot and through which said holes the said prongs are passed and beyond which they extend, the edges of said header plate being turned downwardly forming a border skirt having opposed spaced parallel longitudinal portions, a grate positioned beneath said header plate, said grate being longer than the extent of the aperture in said header plate butshorter than the longitudinal space within the border skirt of said header plate, and having longitudinal slots in which the ex tended portions of the said prongs are engaged, a handle with stem portion extended reciprocably through an opening located in the end wall of the skirt of said header plate and attached to said grate, an upright hollow case open at its upper end and of interior width less than the interior width of said border skirt, to provide spaced longitudinal seats upon which the said grate is supported slidingly at the undersides of its longitudinal edge portions, said case being secured at its top edges to the underside of the border skirt of said header plate whereby it com municates with the lower side of said grate and with the space defined by said downwardly directed border skirt, said case in a portion thereof adjacent to the apertured portion of said header plate being provided with an air inlet, and in the bottom portion being provided with an outlet, and a trap door closing said outlet.

'2. A device-to facilitate maintenance of uniformity of fire mass in a forge, comprising-a fire pot having an opening in its bottom, a prong protruded downwardly from the bottom of said fire pot closely adjacent to a transverse side of said opening, an elongated flat head member embodying downwardly directed border skirt embodying opposed parallel longitudinal sides and transverse ends, there being an aperture in an end portion of said head member to register with the opening in said fire pot, and there being a hole in said head member through which the said prong is passed and beyond which it extends, a grate positioned beneath said head member and between its longitudinal sides, and having a 1ongitudinal slot engaged by said prong, a handle with stem extending from said grate and through an opening in a transverse side of said head member, a hollow case open at its upper end and of interior width less than the distance between the inner faces of the sides of said head member, the top edges of said case forming seats upon which said grate is supported, the said case in a side thereof adjacent to the apertured portion of said head member having an air inlet, and at its bottom portion being provided with an outlet, a trap door for said outlet, and means to secure the fire pot, head member, and said case in united relation.

3. In forge apparatus including a fire pot with an opening in its bottom, and a slotted grate therefor, a fixed member to support the grate at position underneath the fire pot opening and to permit of its being moved reciprocably in the space below said opening, and also to be moved to a position clear of said opening, an operator handle attached to said grate, and there being holes in said fixed support member arranged in a row closely adjacent to a side of the fire pot opening, and prongs downwardly protruded from the bottom of said fire pot in a row from the bottom of said fire pot, across the width of and closely adjacent to a transverse side of said fire pot opening and which are passed through the holes in said fixed member and to engagement within the slots of the grate.

4. In forge apparatus, in combination with a fire pot having an opening in its bottom, an elongated header plate secured at an end portion thereof to the bottom of the fire pot and having an aperture in said end portion in registration with the fire pot opening, and holes in a l row across the width of and closely adjacent to a transverse side of said aperture, said header plate embodying downwardly directed border skirt having opposed parallel longitudinal sides and transverse ends, prongs downwardly protruded from the bottom of said fire pot, in a row across the width of and closely adjacent to a transverse side of the opening in said pot, which said prongs are passed through the holes in said header plate and beyond which said holes they extend, a grate positioned at the underside of said header plate, said grate being longer than the extent of said aperture but shorter than the longitudinal space within the border skirt of said header plate, a handle attached to said grate and operable reciprocally through an opening in an end wall of the skirt of the said header plate to move the grate, an upright hollow case open at its upper end and united at said upper end to said header plate, the said case at the portion thereof beneath the aperture of the head plate having an outlet at its bottom and an air inlet in a side wall thereof, the cross wall of the opposite end of the case being inclined downwardly from the plane of the opposite end of the header plate to a point above said outlet in a plane slightly above the plane of the bottom of the case, and a trap door for said outlet.

5. Forge equipment comprising a fire pot rectangular in plan formation, with convergent side walls each embodying a flange at its upper portion, and convergent end walls each embodying a flange at its upper portion, the flanges of the side Walls being at a plane above the plane of the flanges of the end walls, the bottom of said pot having a rectangular opening, prongs downwardly protruded from the bottom of said fire pot in a row across the width of, and closely adjacent to the forward transverse side of said opening, an elongated header plate secured at the rear end portion thereof to the bottom of said fire pot, there being in said rear end portion of said header plate a rectangular aperture to register with the rectangular opening of the fire pot, and there being holes in a row adjacent to and across the width of the transverse side of said aperture that is proximal the pronged side of the fire pot opening and through which said holes the said prongs are passed and beyond which said holes they extend, the edges of said header plate being turned downwardly forming a rectangular border skirt embodying spaced parallel longitudinal sides which extend forwardly of said fire pot a predetermined distance, a grate rectangular in plan formation positioned beneath the header plate and having longitudinal slots substantially equivalent in length to that of the aperture of the head plate and within which said slots the extended portions of the said prongs are engaged, said grate being longer than the extent of said aperture but shorter than the longitudinal space within the border skirt of said header plate, a handle with stem attached to the grate and passed through a hole therefor, in the forward end of the skirt of the header plate, and manually reciprocable to move the grate, an upright hollow case open at its upper end and embodying side walls, transverse rear wall and transverse forward wall, the lower end of the rear portion of said case being of form in plan to provide an enclosed space and a bottom outlet, the upper end of the case being coextensive with the space defined by the border skirt of the head plate, the distance between the side walls of the case being less than the distance between the longitudinal sides of said skirt the tops of said side walls forming seats upon which said grate rests, the frontal wall of the case being inclined downwardly and rearwardly to a plane spaced above and then directed downwardly and terminated at a plane of the said outlet, there being an air inlet in at least one of the side walls at the rear portion of said case, a trap door closing said outlet, and means to secure the fire pot, header plate, and case in united relation.

SKIDMORE SHIPLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 429,120 Elterich June 3, 1890 1,276,836 Tripp Aug. 27, 1918 1,285,464 Tarbell Nov. 19, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 654 Great Britain Mar. 16, 1853 28,404 Great Britain Dec. 30, 1908 

